Howlong's Travis Merritt has grabbed a top 10 finish in brutal conditions at the NSW Country Championship at Bathurst. IN OTHER NEWS: Merritt was Murray District team captain as the association returned to the titles after missing last year. He finished tied for ninth with a superb score of two-over par 144 for the 36 holes. "With the combination of the wind and the dry conditions and the pin placements were quite difficult as well, it was really tough conditions," MDGA president Steve Kishere said. To highlight the conditions, the winning score was two-under 140. MDGA's six representatives had a combined handicap of one. Thurgoona's Zach O'Collins (153, tied 33rd) and Danny Mills (159, tied 50th) were the other players to finish in the top 50. "We're very happy and the feedback from Golf NSW is we handled ourselves extremely well, which is great," Kishere said. Royal Canberra's Jordan Ayre won the event to claim a spot in the NSW Open.